The present invention relates to method(s) and apparatus(es) for producing images. In particular, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically transforming an arbitrary pixel image into a corresponding simulated watercolor like image. The invention also relates to a method and apparatus for automatically creating a paint by number image from an arbitrary image. The invention further relates to a computer program product including a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a computer program for automatically transforming an arbitrary pixel image into a corresponding simulated water color like image. In addition, the invention also relates to a computer program product including a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a computer program for automatically creating a paint by number image from an arbitrary image.
Paint-by-number systems are known in the art. In one particular example, a paint-by-number image includes a printed image having a plurality of numbered outlined regions and a separate numbered color index. A user paints the numbered regions according to the number in the region and the color index. These printed paint-by-number images are marketed particularly for use by children and teenagers. However, the paint-by-number systems have the significant disadvantage that the regions for coloring must often be manufactured by hand in a specialized manner. Unfortunately, this limits and restricts the variability of the images that can be utilized for a paint-by-number system, which in turn limits the acceptance, and flexibility of such paint-by-number systems.
It has also become popular for computer graphics design packages to include various filters for the production of effects based on an initial image. Packages such as Adobe""s Photoshop (Trade Mark) and Kai""s Power Tools (Trade Mark) are able to substantially automatically produce various filtering effects which result in aesthetically appealing images being produced from an arbitrary initial input image created images. It is desirable to produce an automated xe2x80x9cwatercolorxe2x80x9d effect in an image wherein an arbitrary image is taken and processed so as to produce a corresponding image that has the aesthetic quality that it appears to have been produced by means of utilization of watercolors to paint the same scene as that imaged by the initial image. However, prior art computer graphics packages have the disadvantage of not being able to produce an automated xe2x80x9cwatercolorxe2x80x9d effect.
It is an object of the present invention to ameliorate one or more disadvantages of the prior art.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of automatically transforming an arbitrary pixel image into a corresponding simulated water color like image, said method including the steps of: dividing the image into regions having substantially the same color characteristics; determining borders of said regions and filtering said borders wherein said filtering utilizes the color of the regions on each side of said border to produce a mixture color along the border.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of automatically creating a paint by number image from an arbitrary image, said method including the steps of: creating a series of regions of said arbitrary image, each said region having substantially the same color; grouping the regions into color planes of substantially the same color; minimizing the number of color planes below a predetermined number of planes; and determining borders of said regions and outputting the borders together with at least an index indicating the color plane of each region in the form of a color by number image having characteristics of the original arbitrary image.
According to still another aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for automatically transforming an arbitrary pixel image into a corresponding simulated water color like image, said apparatus including: means for dividing the image into regions having substantially the same color characteristics; and means for determining borders of said regions and filtering said borders wherein said filtering utilizes the color of the regions on each side of said border to produce a mixture color along the border.
According to still another aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for automatically creating a paint by number image from an arbitrary image, said apparatus including: means for creating a series of regions of said arbitrary image, each said region having substantially the same color; means for grouping the regions into color planes of substantially the same color; means for minimizing the number of color planes below a predetermined number of planes; and means for determining borders of said regions and outputting the borders together with at least an index indicating the color plane of each region in the form of a color by number image having characteristics of the original arbitrary image.
According to still another aspect of the invention there is provided a computer program product including a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a computer program for automatically transforming an arbitrary pixel image into a corresponding simulated water color like image, said computer program product including: means for dividing the image into regions having substantially the same color characteristics; means for determining borders of said regions and filtering said borders wherein said filtering utilizes the color of the regions on each side of said border to produce a mixture color along the border.
According to still another aspect of the invention there is provided a computer program product including a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a computer program for automatically creating a paint by number image from an arbitrary image, said computer program product including: means for creating a series of regions of said arbitrary image, each said region having substantially the same color; means for grouping the regions into color planes of substantially the same color; means for minimizing the number of color planes below a predetermined number of planes; and means for determining borders of said regions and outputting the borders together with at least an index indicating the color plane of each region in the form of a color by number image having characteristics of the original arbitrary image.